Panama orders release of crew of N. Korean ship – The Washington Post

Panama’s judicial authorities have ordered the release of 32 of 35 crew members of a North Korean ship detained in July for carrying hidden arms from Cuba and they were working Thursday on the paperwork needed to leave. Prosecutor Nahaniel Murgas said the captain and two other crew members would remain to face arms trafficking charges.

He said a search of the ship turned up documents showing “that the ship’s captain, first officer and political officer had been given instructions about what to do if the illegal shipment was detected.” “Together with that were the statements by the rest of the crew, who said they were employees on the vessel, but not responsible” for the shipment, Murgas said. “It was based on that we decided to free the other 32.”